Article by
Barbados Today

Published on
August 18, 2018

Barbados’ top international surfer, Chelsea Tuach, has been in impressive form in France where she has secured a berth in the Quarterfinals of the Lacanau Surf Pro, a World Surf League (WSL) 1500 Qualifying Series (QS) event.

The event, which attracted 138 men and 56 women from around the world, has now seen the field dwindle to the top eight (8) men and top eight (8) women.

After progressing through three rounds of competition, Tuach dropped the highest wave score of the women on her first wave in her Round of 16 heat against Mahina Maeda and Ren Hashimoto of Japan and Melanie Giunta from Peru.

The judges rewarded her with a 7.73 for a powerful fins free front-side re-entry, the most impressive manoeuvre executed by the girls in the contest so far. She backed this up with a second solid score of 6.17 for another massive manoeuvre on a set wave to easily take the win with the highest heat total of the Round – a 13.90 to Maeda’s 12.57, Giunta’s 9.27 and Hashimoto’s 6.06.

“I am happy to be in the quarters here in Lacanau. The waves have been fun and the girls are all ripping. I am looking forward to my match-up with French surfer, Cannelle Bulard, tomorrow. She will have the crowd on her side but I hope to be able to continue to showcase my surfing and keep progressing,” a jubilant Tuach said after her round of 16 heat win.

The event ends tomorrow after which Tuach will head directly to another WSL QS 1500 a few hours south, in Anglet, in the South West of France which runs from August 22 – 26. (PR)